A hosts file is an electronic file that correlates hostnames to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. It is used by software applications that access computer networks, e.g., browsers such as INTERNET EXPLORER®, SAFARI® or FIREFOX®, as well as any number of other network-enabled applications prevalent today, to determine an IP address for a node on a network. The hosts file is often used in addition to the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS provides a network-accessible directory of IP addresses for the Internet, while the hosts file provides a local directory that is stored, for example, on a Personal Computer (PC) local hard drive.
Because the hosts file is locally controlled, and its contents can be tailored to the specific wishes of a computer user, network-enabled software applications often give hosts file mappings priority over mappings from other locations, such as DNS. For example, if a user configures his hosts file to point to a specified IP address for a particular hostname, most commercial browser applications will go to that specified IP address, even if it differs from an address that would otherwise be retrieved through DNS. While hosts file information takes precedence, the hosts file is infrequently used today, because DNS provides Internet users with nearly all of the IP addresses they need.
Many modern operating systems include a hosts file with operating system software. The file may have certain operating-system-specific layout and behavior properties, however many systems follow a Unix-like convention for configuration files, with a plain text format. For example, the file may list an IP address, followed by a list of names for that node. Any comments may be introduced with a hash mark (“#”). However, operating systems do not presently include automated approaches to managing the hosts file. If a computer user wants to modify a computer's hosts file, he will typically navigate to the file location in his operating system's file structure, open the file, type any desired modifications using a keyboard input device, then save and close the file.
The above approach can be cumbersome in situations where hosts file modifications are frequently made. There is a need in the industry for a hosts file manager that allows for hosts file modifications using more automated, less error prone technologies.